The control of aircraft on the ground is a very complicated and dangerous task. Airfields must often provide control and guidance to aircraft while taxiing or standing both before takeoff and after landing.
Safety and reliability are at a premium in the field of aircraft control. For this purpose, airfield lighting control systems have been developed to prevent incursions onto an active runway or taxiway, thereby reducing the possibility of collisions between aircraft, especially during conditions of low visibility.
Accordingly, it is an object of the many aspects of the present invention to provide improvements over existing airfield lighting control and monitoring systems (ALCMS). Such improvements include those to the control and monitoring system of an ALCMS which render it better able to apprise the operator of the status of the ALCMS through improved communication capabilities between and among the components of the system. The present invention furthers the goals of safe and efficient aircraft ground control.